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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cell — in biology
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. mug — a face
  8. board — a committee
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rash — a series
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com